This invention relates generally to prime movers, such as a dynamoelectric machine for instance, and in particular to apparatus and methods involved in the manufacture thereof.
In the past, various apparatus and methods were utilized for manufacturing and assembling components onto rotatable assemblies of prime movers, such as the above-mentioned dynamoelectric machine. The rotatable assembly is, of course, rotatable about its axis of rotation in the dynamoelectric machine, and as well known in the art, a pair of spaced abutments, such as thrust washers or bearings, are provided on the rotatable assembly for engagement with associated parts of the dynamoelectric machine to predeterminately limit displacement movement of the rotatable assembly generally along its axis in the dynamoelectric machine. This predetermined limited axial movement of the rotatable assembly is commonly referred to as end play. In the manufacture of at least some dynamoelectric machines, it may be necessary, or at least desirable, to assemble various components onto the opposite end portions of the rotatable assembly and generally in gripping engagement therewith. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,489 issued to Doran D. Hershberger on Dec. 17, 1974, illustrates a pair of lint shields which may be disposed in gripping engagement at selected positions about a pair of opposite end portions of a rotatable assembly subsequent to the assembly thereof in the dynamoelectric machine with the aforementioned end play. It is believed that if the opposite forces directed onto the opposite ends of the rotatable assembly during the assembly of the components in gripping engagement therewith are unbalanced, the rotatable assembly is shifted generally along its rotational axis thereby to move one of its thrust washer into engagement with the adjacent axial movement limiting abutment thereof on the dynamoelectric machine. In this manner, the differential between the unbalanced forces acting on the rotatable assembly would be taken on the thrust washer with the disadvantageous or undesirable result of bending or otherwise distorting it so as to deleteriously affect the subsequent operation of the dynamoelectric machine.
Again with reference to the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,489, it may be seen that it is also desirable to locate the lint shield in gripping engagement at a selected position on the end portion of a shaft and within an opening in an associated part of the dynamoelectric machine through which the shaft extends. Due to length tolerances in shafts as well as tolerance build-ups in other parts of the dynamoelectric machine associated with the shaft, the shaft extension exteriorly of various ones of the dynamoelectric machine may not be constant. Therefore, if the lint shield was pushed or moved along the shaft for a certain distance, the lint shield may be mislocated so that end play movement of the shaft might displace the lint shield from the opening which, of course, may effect a disadvantageous or undesirable result deleterious to proper dynamoelectric machine operation, as discussed in the patent. It is believed that if an instantaneous position of the lint shield was ascertained as it was moved along the shaft with respect to an adjacent part of the dynamoelectric machine, the lint shield could then be advanced through a predetermined distance or travel from the ascertained instantaneous position to the selected position therefor on the shaft.